


of all the fish in the sea, i'm so glad you swam to me

by cuddlychim



Series: Little Chenle & Daddy Kun [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Aquariums, Infantilism, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Platonic Relationships, Qian Kun-centric, Zhong Chen Le-centric, caregiver!kun, ddlb, its cute, little!chenle, littlespace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 07:52:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18464662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlychim/pseuds/cuddlychim
Summary: Kun and Chenle take a trip to the aquarium.





	of all the fish in the sea, i'm so glad you swam to me

“Are we nearly there _now_?”

 

 

A middle-aged woman dressed meticulously in a straight black pencil skirt, matching blazer, and pristine blouse glanced towards the man and boy. Her whole posture was stiff; both of her manicured hands sat primly on her lap and her legs were glued together, ivory heels complementing the white of her blouse. If it wasn't for the relentless rocking of the train making everyone move rhythmically from side to side like a jack-in-the-box that had just sprung from its cosy confined domain and was gently wavering to a halt, then Kun was certain she would be mistaken for a statue. A particularly grouchy and wrinkly one.

 

 

Kun felt her scornful stare and tore his eyes away from his phone, subtly glimpsing at her through his peripheral. Rich red lips pursed, she caught his eye and sent a look of haughty disdain. Kun raised his eyebrows and turned away, discretely placing his phone back into his tawny satchel. The leather was peeling at some areas, and the silver buckles weren't as secure as they used to be when fastened, but Kun cherished the satchel and its old coriaceous smell nevertheless.

 

 

“Kun-ge!”

 

 

The voice was loud, a bellow, and a few of the passengers close by turned to see the cause of the sudden disturbance on the previously quiet train, some bearing looks of contempt and others confusion. The old woman nearest to them clicked her tongue in irritation. Kun pretended not to feel the stares lingering when he kneeled forwards.

 

 

“Chenle,“ he said quietly, “I know you’re excited, but we're on public transport with other people so we need to use our inside voices or we’ll disturb them.”

 

 

Chenle’s bottom lip jutted out petulantly, and he began picking at a mysterious hardened stain on the grimy corduroy seat. Kun grimaced and pulled the younger’s hand away, holding it in his own. The passengers had become disinterested and were now back to their phones or newspapers.

 

 

“We’re nearly there,” Kun reminded gently. “It’s just two more stops, but hey, you were excited to ride the train when we got to the station, what happened?”

 

 

If Kun had had the money for a taxi, then the two of them would have arrived at the aquarium three-quarters of an hour ago and would already be enjoying a lunch break at the _Dolphin’s Dish_ , but the entrance fees between them were five-hundred and twenty-five yuan. Kun wanted to make sure they had a little leftover so at the end Chenle would be able to pick out a small treat from the gift shop. Kun was still in university and could only hold down a part-time job with a median wage, and the only job Chenle had was to walk their neighbour, Mrs Zu’s, cocker spaniel, - not many closeby places hired minors. That left public transport. Taking the bus was Kun’s first option until he realised it would take several buses to reach their destination, and consequently more money. So the underground it was.

 

 

Chenle looked up with his widened eyes - Kun noticed they'd always appeared to be larger when he regressed, glittering with childhood innocence and curiosity - and shrugged.

 

 

“It’s smelly and dirty, Kun-ge, and the train keeps groaning at me, and going through scary dark tunnels.”

 

 

Stifling a laugh, Kun let his lips twitch into a silent enamoured smile. It was true, the train held a distinct odour of sweat, cigarettes and musty cologne. Various garbage littered the floor which was sticky with spilt fizzy drinks, and their seats were beaten and torn at the edges. The groaning and whining of the engines and wheels scraping against the tracks were a bit worrying, especially when it echoed eerily in the tunnels. The train was decrepit - sort of like Kun's satchel - but still perfectly capable of doing its job.

 

 

The jarring, ear-splitting noise announced the train’s arrival at another stop; unfortunately, it wasn’t theirs, but to Kun's great relief the tight-lipped woman who had been scowling at them throughout the entirety of the ride stood up and stalked towards the exit with a mass of other departing passengers.

 

 

“Ours is the next stop, Lele, think you can ignore the smell for another ten minutes?” Kun asked. Chenle bit his bottom lip gently, pretending to think before nodding.

 

 

“Okay,” he agreed, “but I’m hungry, too, Kun-ge. Can I have crackers, please?”

 

 

Kun felt his heart swell with pride at the younger boy's use of manners. Often, when Chenle had regressed to a particularly young age, please and thank-yous became easily forgettable. Kun suspected Chenle was around six to eight right now, older than he usually was, so politeness came naturally to him.

 

 

Reaching into his satchel for the zip-lock bag filled with cheesy crackers, Kun grinned delightfully. “Thank you for using your manners, Lele.”

 

 

The boy smiled gleefully and delved into the snacks.

 

* * *

 

The train screeched to a slow stop, the metallic shrieking making Chenle wince. Kun grasped his little boy’s hand and held him close as they sauntered towards the exit with the several other passengers that had remained. Kun didn't care if people began to gaze at them with odd looks; he wasn’t about to lose Chenle in the bustle of the subway station.

 

 

“We have to walk, as well?” Chenle whined impatiently when they finally submerged from the dim-lit underground and into the early-afternoon sun of Fujian.

 

 

Kun let out a laugh. “Only a few blocks. The aquarium is big and blue with a picture of an octopus on the front, do you think you can tell me when you spot it?”

 

 

At the responsibility his caregiver was handing him, Chenle's brindle eyes lit up with joy and he nodded ecstatically, skipping on the spot with his converse clad feet. Underneath them, he wore cyan coloured socks with little printed fish. Except for the koi, Kun didn't recognise any of them.

 

 

“I can do it, Daddy!”

 

 

Kun tumbled over a small round stone, nearly sending the both of them to the ground, but he managed to steady himself and continue walking smoothly, albeit a bit startled.

 

 

“Lele, we don't say that when we're outside,” Kun reminded quietly. Other than a man browsing his phone on the opposite side of the road, no one else seemed to have heard Chenle’s little slip-up. It wasn't Kun trying to be unkind, not at all. It was one of the rules both Kun and Chenle had established when their platonic relationship had started out a year ago. The judgemental and belittling glares of the people around them would find their way under Chenle’s skin and bury themselves there, planting awful thoughts inside his mind and refusing to go away. It had sent Chenle into a depressive episode for almost a month until Kun had eventually succeeded in making him slip. Kun wasn't sure who underwent the most suffering during that time - his heart broke a little more each time he thought about it.

 

 

Chenle gasped as if he were suddenly remembering, and smiling a great happy smile he turned towards Kun.

 

 

“Sorry, Kun-ge. I forgot,” he said brightly, skipping on his way. Before Kun could reply, the boy froze in his steps and bounced on the concrete. “There! It’s there! I found it, Kun-ge, see!”

 

 

Grimacing at the ear-piercing screeches, Kun strained a smile and looked in front of them. Across two empty roads and a packed car-park was the aquarium. It was tremendously huge, tall, and painted cobalt blue. On the front was a picture of a red octopus, its long tentacles twisting around the bold words “Slice of Ocean Life Aquarium”. Kun felt excitement begin to sizzle inside of him, too. They had only visited here once before, last summer, as an attempt to get Chenle to be comfortable in front of him while Little. It had worked a charm, so this place held a few fond memories.

 

 

“Okay, then, are you ready?”

 

 

Chenle whooped with laughter and enthusiasm. Kun readjusted his satchel and clasped Chenle's smaller hand in his before they bounded across the roads (safely, of course) and towards the aquarium.

 

 

An exuberant giggle bubbled past Chenle’s cheesy dusted lips. “I'm super excited, Kun-ge.”

 

 

The aquarium lobby was astir; primary school-aged children were buzzing with excitement, their incomprehensible yells reverberating around the room, and the younger ones were crying or hanging on to their frenzied parent’s leg. The workers who were checking them in seemed exasperated and overwhelmed with the crowd of uncontrolled children. Kun immediately noticed Chenle's sudden subdued behaviour.

 

 

“Hey,” he whispered into Chenle's ear, seeing the boy shiver slightly. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”

 

 

He led Chenle towards a bench by some aquatic posters, distracting him with the colours of the tropical fish. Within five minutes the bustle of children and parents had entered the aquarium - hopefully splitting up - and Kun walked towards the check-in area. The frazzled young woman behind the desk smiled apologetically at him.

 

 

“You wouldn't believe me if I said that wasn’t the worst we’ve had,” she sighed, handing over the two wrist-bands and a marine life identification leaflet. “The school groups are the worst; you’d think the teachers wouldn't let them run wild, but they do.”

 

 

Kun gave her a short laugh before thanking her. Chenle, who had been hiding quietly behind his caregiver, stared at the woman shyly as they walked through the entrance.

 

 

“Kun-ge,” Chenle whispered.

 

 

The older man enveloped Chenle's hand in his own and smiled at him reassuringly. “It’s all right. It’s just us now.”

 

 

Through the doors, a warm blue light emitting from the deep tanks painted the entire foyer in its gentle glow, the shadows of the swimming fish reflecting onto the floor magically and on the high ceiling floated a giant aluminium shark balloon, followed by a myriad of silvery trout. Chenle bolted towards the first tank before Kun could stop him.

 

 

Staring in awe, Chenle pressed both of his hands onto the glass. “Wow, Kun-ge, look!”

 

 

The caregiver strode forward in time to see a school of cardinal tetra fish swim past. The top half of their scales were an electric blue and the bottom half a pumpkin orange. Their tails and fins were translucent, almost invisible inside the water, and they had large black spots for their eyes.

 

 

“Do you know what fish they are, Lele?” Kun asked softly. Chenle’s eyes remained glued to the swarm of fish until they disappeared around some peach coloured coral.

 

 

“Tetra!” Chenle replied. “I remember them from last year!” he stated proudly. Kun grinned affectionately and tousled the younger’s hair.

 

 

“Good job, Lele. Do you want to check them off the sheet?” Kun handed the identification sheet to Chenle, watching the boy draw a messy check mark in the box underneath the picture of the tetra fish. The Little surveyed the page afterwards before peering up at Kun with an apprehensive expression.

 

 

“Do... do we have to check them _all_ off, Kun-ge?” Chenle questioned anxiously.

 

 

Kun frowned and brushed Chenle's brunette fringe from his eyes. “No, of course we don’t, Chenle,” Kun promised. “Is there any reason you don’t want to, though?”

 

 

Chenle glanced with and fidgeted with the leaflet in his hands, crumpling it a bit. Worried, Kun lifted the boy’s chin and locked eyes with him.

 

 

“Hey,” he said, “you know you can tell me anything, right? It’s okay.”

 

 

Nervous eyes looked back. “It’s - it’s just the _sharks_. They’re _scary_ , Kun-ge. Lele doesn’t like them.”

 

 

Kun suppressed his coos, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from twitching upwards slightly. His little boy was just too damn adorable.

 

 

“That’s okay. We don't have to see the sharks. Thank you for telling me, Lele.” Kun risked it all and leaned in to peck Chenle on the forehead. It was worth it for the shy smile he received in return.

 

 

The next tank was tremendously big. Its glass stretched across the wall and up high until it touched the ceiling. Chenle was sure it held the whole ocean inside; broad and blue, thousands of colourful, scaly and shimmering fish swam in hordes, some disappearing beyond the jagged rocks and smaller ones into the dancing coral. Chenle gasped in wonder when a blue-spotted stingray appeared from the sand and swept across the glass, its tail moving back and forth as if it were waving hello to the onlookers.

 

 

“Kun-ge, did you see that?” Chenle exclaimed. “It waved at me! With its tail!”

 

 

“Wow, really?” Kun shared the younger’s enthusiasm with wide eyes. Chenle giggled, pink dusting his cheeks.

 

 

They spent the next hour exploring the rest of the aquarium (except for the sharks, Kun made sure). To Kun’s surprise, they managed to check over half of the animals on their list and learn some interesting facts on marine life before stopping at the aquarium’s restaurant, _Dolphin’s Dish_ , which, to Chenle’s great relief, didn't serve any seafood. After sharing some delicious sweet and sour pork the duo headed to the gift shop and was currently browsing the plethora of aquatic stuffed animals, clothes with the aquarium’s logo printed on, stationary and keyrings.

 

 

“How about this, Lele?” Kun held up a short book on octopuses and their habitats. It would be an educational and fun read. “We got the starfish one last year. I think you’ll like this, too.”

 

 

Chenle came over with something grasped in his hands, gazing at the book. They swapped items wordlessly and Kun let a smile grace his lips when he saw what his little boy had been holding.

 

 

It was a magnet, not very big, and had two blue resin dolphins embracing one another. One dolphin was clearly a baby, being much smaller than the other, and the second dolphin was its parent, fin wrapped around it lovingly. Both their eyes were closed and they were smiling.

 

 

“Is this me and you, Lele?” Kun whispered. Chenle, who had been looking at the pictures in the book, looked over and giggled, nodding.

 

 

“Yes, that’s me, the baby, because I’m your baby and your dolphin, and the big one is you because you’re my daddy and you’re hugging me,” he said shyly. Many people were scurrying about the gift shop; they didn't seem to care what the two were conversing about.

 

 

Kun felt his heart pulse with love, and he pulled Chenle into his own embrace, breathing in his bubblegum scent. “Shall we get this then, dolphin? Put it on the fridge with all of your drawings?”

 

 

Chenle beamed. “Yes!”

 

 

As they left to pay, Kun watched Chenle hop towards the check-out and wondered: _How did I get so lucky?_

**Author's Note:**

> ¥525 yuan = £60 gbp
> 
> feel free to leave some requests :))


End file.
